Critical hit!
This was his chance. Kai dashed forward and activated his Angelblades once again. The AI anticipated his move and the man lifted his augmented metal arms to parry the attack.
Instead of trying to stab him, Kai came to a sudden halt right in front of him and used the full momentum of his speed to kick the thug in the abdomen. The man staggered again, leaving his defensive posture for a second.
It was enough for Kai to finish him off.
Using his arm blades like oversized garden scissors, he activated the full force of his augmented muscles and chopped off the hostile’s head. It flew through the air before hitting the wall behind while the body collapsed, bleeding and throwing sparks.
Kai took a deep breath. That was way too close for his taste. The damage report showed that his health had dropped below 50%, and his injured body parts felt stiff. Most modern shooters and other action games were designed way more realistically than in earlier decades. There was no automatic health regeneration, and the player experienced damaged body parts as a handicap until he got them fixed.
“Well done!” Topher said, walking toward him.
Objective Completed! All hostiles eliminated. Hostages saved.
An in-game visual message popped up in Kai’s field of vision, replacing his HUD. He could see a female face, semi-transparent, with a stern expression. Her almond-shaped artificial eyes glowed neon blue, and she appeared beautiful and intimidating.
“Excellent work, rookie,” she said with a cold yet sexy voice. “The High Archangel will be very pleased. Return to HQ for further instructions!”
A chilling smile showed on her face and she disappeared.
Kai remembered the actress from the previous installments. Although most NPCs were engine-generated and designed by artists, the main characters in AAA games were usually portrayed by famous actors.
“In real life, your approach might not have been the smartest,” Topher said with a grin. “But who cares, right?”
“In real life, I’m not a killer cyborg either,” Kai answered. “Sadly.”
Topher snickered, then studied the dead enemies and nodded. “You’re a good player, no doubt. I’m sure the squad will be excited to have you in a tournament.”
“What are the tournaments?”
“Once every three months, one of the multiplayer games currently being tested is picked, and all squads participate in a tournament. The higher your team and you personally score in such competitions, the more level progress you earn. It’s a great way to boost your level-up a bit. Helltek tests the multiplayer components of each game this way.” Topher paused, then asked, “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”
Kai shook his head. “I don’t think so. Everything functioned as it should have.”
“Good,” Topher said, walking to the main exit of the warehouse. “Let’s get out of here before it resets.”
“Why will it reset?”
“Let me put it differently: let’s get out of here before I reset the scenario. We’re going to test it again and see if the scanner works properly or if it doesn’t show the snipers on the roof. It’s always important to reproduce such issues. Unless it’s something as minor as the T-pose bug earlier, we always reproduce. If you can reproduce the same issue exactly the same way four times in a row, we call it 100% reproducible, if it’s two times, it’s 50%, and one time is 25%. If you encounter something out of the ordinary but cannot reproduce it, you report it anyway but add the note cannot reproduce.”
“Ok,” Kai said. “That makes sense.”
“Yes, it does when it comes to professional testing. But trust me, you’re gonna hate it in no time,” Topher said. “Ok, let’s do exactly the same thing again. Reproduce your steps as precisely as possible, clear?”
“Clear.”
They had reached the edge of the event area and once again stood in the glaring sun in the midst of the breathtaking mega-city.
New Objective: Eliminate all hostiles.
Chapter Twelve
“Welcome back.”
Slowly, Kai opened his real eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, as if he had woken up from a deep slumber, and he noticed a slight throbbing in his temples. It took him a moment until he could see clearly.
Lex looked down on him, one eye squinted.
“Hi.”
She turned her head and nodded toward someone Kai couldn’t see. “Babyface’s alright.”
“Good,” he heard Topher’s voice. “He did really well in there.”
“Oh, I know. I have an eye on everything you guys do, remember?”
She rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to Kai. “Ok, let me unplug you. If you experience any dizziness or headache, don’t worry about it. That’s normal in the beginning. Our machines here are way more powerful than what you’re used to from ordinary VR gaming. Your brain needs to get used to it.”
Lex stepped closer, grabbed the cord attached to Kai’s skull and pulled it out with a sharp, smooth movement that revealed routine.
He sat up and noticed that the dizziness already began to vanish.
“How was your first time?” Lex asked with a smirk, crossing her arms.
“Great! It was fun,” Kai answered, stretching his limbs.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t suffer any damage,” Lex said. “There shouldn’t be any bruises or anything like that. But I guess you noticed that taking damage can feel pretty uncomfortable. That’s because we test all games on high intensity. Usually, players won’t experience even half of it. But we need to know if it gets too much.”
“Kai found three bugs on his first test run,” Topher said. “Not bad for starters.”
“That’s cool, dude,” Marco chimed in.
Kai hadn’t noticed him until now because he was leaning against the wall close to the door. Looking around, Kai saw that all the pods around him were empty. The rest of the squad had not only left VR but the room.
Surprisingly, Marco didn’t look that much different in real life to his VR avatar. He wasn’t as tall and athletic and his brown skin wasn’t as smooth, the proportions of his face not as perfect, but he wore the same red-dyed haircut and a cocky grin on his face.
“Kai, I asked Marco to accompany you to the cafeteria and show you where you can get some lunch. You should find the others there.”
Only now did Kai notice that his stomach was rumbling. He felt as if he hadn’t eaten in ages.
“Come on,” Marco said. “I’m starving.”
Kai followed his new teammate, and they left the room.
“So, how do you like it here so far?” Marco asked as they walked down one of the endless halls that looked all the same to Kai.
“It’s great!” he answered.
“A dream job?”
“Yeah.”
Marco chuckled. “We all thought that at the beginning.”
Kai looked at him in surprise. “Is it not?”
“Oh, it sure is! I mean, it’s really cool what we’re doing here and the pay is fantastic, once you hit a higher level. It’s just not necessarily a dream dream, you know?”
“Um… what do you mean?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Although he was curious as hell, Kai decided not to pry for now. Apparently there were things around here people chose not to talk about. On their way, they passed several other testers wearing the same gimp suits as them, although with different colors on their shoulders. Some of them greeted Marco as they passed by, others ignored them. Kai noticed that some wore everyday clothes over their suits, mostly long shirts or vests, many women in particular. He could understand why. The suit was so tight that it almost felt like walking around naked.
“There’s a small cafeteria on every underground level and a big one up on the campus. The food is basically the same everywhere, but we go to the big one as often as we can to get some daylight. It can get pretty grim down here at times, you know?” Marco explained after a moment
of silence. “But no matter where you go, stay away from the hot dogs. They’re–”
He made a gesture as if he wanted to stick his index finger down his throat and stuck out his tongue.
Kai laughed. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“I don’t know what they’re putting in there. I mean, a hot dog should be the easiest thing in the world to make, you’d think. But, nope.”
They arrived at a huge double door, which slid open when they came closer, and they entered a spacious area. Kai paused for a moment, surprised by what he saw. The cafeteria wasn’t at all what he had expected. It was decorated to resemble a 1960s diner, but everything was in bright neon colors. LED light chains illuminated the walls in pink and blue, and every few feet, a colorful moving hologram portrayed a character from a famous video game. One corner was dominated by an oversized screen showing one of the countless Avengers movies. Glimpsing at it, Kai wasn’t sure if it was part 14 or maybe 16.
The place was filled with people, all young, all wearing gimp suits. Some covered their bodies with shirts and other everyday clothes. At a quick glance, it appeared that maybe 70% were male.
Although most were occupying the tables and booths spread around the room in groups, some preferred to be by themselves, indicating this by wearing headphones. Mobile devices weren’t allowed inside the testing facility, and Kai had left his with his bag and clothes in the locker room. He noticed that most tables were designed for six people. Most likely so the squads could spend their lunch breaks together. J-pop music played from invisible speakers, and the air was filled with chatter and occasional laughs. The whole atmosphere reminded Kai of the cafeteria at the college he used to attend, just way cooler – and weirder.
“Yeah, I know, it’s a bit odd,” Marco said, noticing Kai’s puzzlement. “First time I came here, I thought my eyes would get cancer and fall out, plop!”
He made a gesture with his hands as if his eyes had exploded.
“I mean, everything is dim and grim in the halls and corridors, and then you walk in here and feel like you’ve fallen straight into an anime. Don’t ask me why. But apparently they hired some expensive af designers to decorate the cafeterias and other common areas, and that’s what they came up with. It’s kind of a shock, especially when you grew up in the prospects like me and are used to real life being gray on gray. But don’t worry, you get accustomed to it quickly. Come on!”
He clapped his shoulder and pointed at a queue that had gathered at the food distribution point in the center of the room.
“How do I pay? I have nothing with me,” Kai asked after reaching for his wallet in his pocket and realizing that he had neither.
“Oh, didn’t they tell you that at HR? All food and drinks are on the house.”
“Guess not. But that’s awesome!”
Free food? This was getting better and better.
“Ugh… let me guess, Rachel?”
“Yeah.”
Marco rolled his eyes. “That chick. Great boobs, no brain.”
Kai stared at him with an open mouth. No one dared to openly speak like that nowadays. Especially not in a work environment.
Marco laughed, grabbing a tray.
“You’re looking at me as if I’ve just committed all seven deadly sins at once and am on my way straight to hell.”
“Well, technically you have,” Kai said.
“Not here, man. This is the video game industry. And we’re the Cyber Squad and not some snowflakes. Besides, I got that straight from Claudia. Ask her what she thinks about Rachel. Her theory is that Rachel dresses in such a slutty way to distract from the small print in the contract she gave you. And it works – we’re all here! Not in hell but at Helltek.”
Kai grabbed a tray and stood behind Marco in the food line. He didn’t want to admit that Rachel’s trick had certainly worked on him.
“Why is the company called Helltek anyway?” he asked instead.
“Because of the Twins of Hell who own it,” Marco said with a mischievous grin.
“Huh?”
“Gregor and Marie-Louise Hell, never heard of them?”
“No…” Kai blushed.
“They founded and own Helltek. They’re German or Swiss, or something like that. Apparently, in German, Hell means bright. Funny, huh? They also happen to be twins. Their Daddy founded Orbis Software, which is where their money came from originally.”
“I had no idea!” Kai said. Orbis Software was the third-biggest games developer and distributor worldwide.
“Yeah, naturally we test everything Orbis develops, publishes and distributes. Coincidentally,” Marco winked.
They had reached the food distribution point. It was organized like most contemporary restaurants. A couple of dishes were presented on a bright and colorful display, and Kai could choose one by simply pointing at it. He noticed that everything besides the hot dog with French fries consisted mostly of vegetables, quinoa, tofu, lettuce, and other super-healthy stuff. Apparently it was important to Helltek’s management to provide their employees with healthy nutrition. Considering what Marco had said about the hot dog earlier, Kai suspected that it was only on the menu to create the impression that the employees could choose fast food if they wanted.
After a moment of consideration, he chose a sweet-and-sour vegetable stir fry and watched the robot behind the counter prepare it swiftly.
“Hey, look here!” Marco whispered, poking him with his elbow.
Kai turned his attention away from his food being prepared and to his new friend.
“Over there!” Marco said, moving his eyes several times to the left and wiggling his eyebrows, indicating that was where Kai should look.
Kai followed Marco’s line of sight and saw a group of seven girls entering the cafeteria.
“Try not to stare, idiot!” Marco laughed. “Maeve will notice and wipe the floor with you. Literally.”
Kai tried to follow the advice but found it difficult not to stare. Those girls were not only different from any he had ever seen in real life, they also stuck out from the other testers gathered in the cafeteria. All seven wore clothes over their gimp suits, but not loose T-shirts or sweaters like the rest of the crew. The girls were dressed in skirts, boots, stockings, blouses and tank tops, all black and white.
Contrary to most other female testers Kai had seen so far, who wore no or only a little makeup, these girls wore enough to paint the entire walls of the cafeteria with it. Black eyeliner, black or deep red lipstick and white powder covered their doll-like faces. All of them had similar layered haircuts in raven-black, blue or pink. The group seemed like they had come straight from an anime cosplay convention.
“Pretty sexy, huh?” Marco said.
“Who are they?”
“We call them the Hot Squad, but only behind their backs, of course. All of them are Level Seven. They test Japanese survival horror, such as the Inside Evil series and the latest Muted Hills. The girl in the front, Maeve, is their team lead.”
Kai studied the girl with fascination. She was maybe a couple of years older than him, but he couldn’t be sure with the amount of makeup she wore on her face. Her long hair was raven-black, and her pale skin and big eyes gave her the look of a Gothic Lolita.
Walking by, she noticed Kai’s stare, looked up and winked.
“She’s mostly into girls, but apparently she gives young, cute guys a chance from time to time. You might fall exactly into her category of prey,” Marco grinned and clapped Kai’s shoulder.
Kai felt heat rushing to his cheeks. “What… me…? I’m not cute.”
Marco laughed heartily.
“Your food is ready, sir,” the cooking robot said, bringing Kai back to reality. He grabbed his plate and followed Marco, who had chosen a quinoa burger and was already on the move through the cafeteria. They stopped at a booth occupied by three people who could only be his fellow teammates Josh, Francois and Claudia.
It had become clear to Kai that it was customary her
e to create one’s avatar as an idealized version of yourself, yet still resembling your real-life appearance. He would take that into account and refrain from the Viking persona he liked to use otherwise.
All three people looking up at him from their meals were very similar to their virtual counterparts, yet not quite as perfect.
Josh was even more lanky and skinny than his avatar, with huge nerd glasses and hair that needed a cut. Francois had curly brown hair and a distinctive nose. Claudia had clearly made her virtual version taller and slimmer than her true self. She was a short, curvy girl with a freckled face and lively eyes. She wore a gray blouse over her suit.
“Hey guys,” Marco said, letting himself fall on the bench next to Claudia. “Look who I found!”
“Sit with us, Kai,” Claudia said with a friendly smile and pointed at the empty seat next to Josh. “How was your test run?”
“Pretty good! I’m excited to join you after lunch.”
“Topher thinks he did pretty well, so I guess he did,” Marco said with a shrug, then he began wolfing down his meal. Kai tried his stir-fry and was surprised at how good it actually was.
“We’re excited to have you on our team, Kai,” Claudia said. “Isn’t that so, boys?”
The others mumbled something in agreement, then Francois asked: “I assume our Master and Commander stayed behind?”
Marco chuckled. “What else did you expect?”
They all exchanged a knowing look, and Kai suddenly felt left out. These people had maybe known each other for years. It would take time until he was truly one of them.
Claudia must have noticed something in his face and explained.
“Topher, to whom we refer lovingly as Master and Commander, is in love with Lex.”
Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise. Lex wasn’t unattractive, but she was clearly very weird.
“That’s not all,” Marco jumped in. “Whenever possible, they–”
He formed a ring with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand and moved the index finger of his right hand back and forth through the ring. The others snickered.
“Especially at parties, when they’re drunk,” Marco finished.
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